Following the recent announcement of its closure, independent venue The Green Room on Devonshire Street is set to relaunch in June 2026 under new stewardship from WaterBear – The Music College, reopening as The WaterBear Green Room.
The move secures the venue’s future following the retirement of its long-standing operator, who has overseen the space since the early 1990s.
The WaterBear Green Room will operate as a public live music venue in the evenings, while also serving as a daytime space for WaterBear’s Sheffield students to rehearse, collaborate and develop their work.
Patrick Flynn, the outgoing Green Room owner, said: “It doesn’t feel like its been nearly 23 years since we opened the Green Room. Time flies when you’re having fun. I’ll take away lots of amazing memories with me and look forward to seeing what WaterBear do with the venue. We have always championed grassroots music over the years and it’s very important that it continues. It couldn’t be in safer hands.”
The building has played several roles in Sheffield’s cultural life over the years — first as Rickshaw, the city’s first Chinese restaurant, then Mr. Kite’s café bar, followed by Casablanca, and for the past 22 years, The Green Room itself.
Eve Massaad, Chief Marketing Officer at WaterBear, said: “Sheffield has always been a city that backs its own — and The Green Room is part of that story. We’re proud to be preserving what people already love about this space, while reimagining it as The WaterBear Green Room: a place that supports grassroots artists, welcomes the public, and gives emerging talent a stage to develop. At a time when venues like this are under pressure across the UK, securing its future feels meaningful for the city and the next generation of musicians.”
And, on hearing the news, a WaterBear student said:”I love it there — there are two nice stages, one little acoustic and a main stage. It is going to be amazing. The Brighton WaterBear venue and the Music Bar are really good, and we’re going to be putting on plenty of gigs.”
WaterBear opened its Sheffield campus in 2023 and has been developing partnerships across the city’s music network, alongside mentoring and performance opportunities for students. Its Brighton base includes two public venues operating as live stages and social spaces, a model that will now extend to the Devonshire Street site.
While students will use the venue during the day, it will continue to operate as a public-facing live music space in the evenings, hosting touring acts, emerging artists and community events.
Further details about launch events and the venue’s 2026 programme will be announced in the coming months.
